A Life More Ordinary Ch. 03

"Haley, I'm-" a voice started as the front door opened. Emily walked in to see Kay and her sister in a close embrace, her sister's normally flawless makeup a complete mess. The two separated, revealing the mess Haley left on Kay's shirt.

"Hey, Emmy," Haley said, sniffling, "this isn't what it looks like."

From the state of their auras, Emily could guess what happened, but decided to let them tell it.

"Haley asked for some horseradish, I came over to drop it off, she invited me in, and we got to talking," Kay explained. "I'm a pretty good listener, and Haley..."

"I told her about our parents essentially leaving us," Haley continued, taking Kay's prompt, "and Kay helped me realize it's okay if I don't like them very much. It hit me pretty hard." She sniffled for emphasis. Kay maintained a sympathetic face and hoped to the Goddess it was convincing.

Emily smiled, sitting on the couch and putting an arm around her sister. They worked through that same conversation years ago, so she believed Haley was covering for their sake, rather than Kay's.

"It's alright, I know it's been rough without them," Emily said, holding her sister as Kay stood.

"I think I'm gonna go change," Kay said awkwardly, "Haley, I'm sorry about... everything."

Haley nodded. "Thank you for letting me vent, Kaylia, I really appreciated it."

"My pleasure." Kay's smile seemed to make everything much better. "That invitation stands, if you and your friends still want to come hang out."

Haley nodded, and Kay quietly opened the door and left. She considered a change of plans and talking to Melvyn now, but she thought more time to digest would be helpful. Besides, she had one other task on her list for today yet, and she needed to clean up for it.

Emily hugged Haley and looked at her. "So? You want to talk about what happened?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah, and we will, but I need to talk to Maru first." This couldn't wait, her feelings of guilt wouldn't go away until she and Maru talked it out.

"You want to clean up first?"

"I probably should."

Haley got up and went into her room as Emily held back her laughter. "OH GODDESS, GROSS!" came the shout from Haley's room, and Emily couldn't hold it back anymore.

*****

Maru puzzled over the data in front of her. For weeks, she and her father had been gathering meteorological data on the Valley's winter storm systems, searching for any sort of regular pattern in the appearance or formation of the short, intense thundersnow squalls. Demetrius's working hypothesis was that warmer air from the Gem Sea was combining with the much colder air off the mountain to form the events, but based on their readings from across the previous winter, the supposed warm fronts weren't actually that much warmer. The behavior wasn't particularly caused by pressure changes, either, as the barometers stayed pretty level throughout the winter. Earlier that day, she had suggested a particularly frenzied period of butterfly activity in the Fern Islands; her dad almost couldn't breathe from laughing so hard, and they took a break from their other work by checking migration reports from the Fern Islands Research Center.

That was the thing she loved about her dad the most: he was always willing to listen to Maru, to give her ideas a fair chance and due consideration. Sometimes, it led to a breakthrough on a difficult problem; other times, it led to disappointment but better understanding. He was a driven researcher and made no secret of his desire that his children put their best efforts into anything they did. He also expected great things of his only daughter, and she wondered if he knew how much pressure that laid directly on her shoulders. She also knew that was the real reason she didn't want to tell him about Haley, that he'd think the effort she put into her relationship would be better directed at more academic pursuits.

A knock at her balcony door surprised her, and she opened it to find Haley, slightly out of breath. She pushed her way into Maru's room, pushing the door shut behind her and grabbing Maru in a tight embrace. Maru's reservations about the invasion were quickly set aside as she melted into Haley's arms.

"Hey, what's going on?" Maru asked. Haley pulled Maru to the bed and sat down with her. She looked extremely nervous as she took Maru's hands in her own.

"I met Kaylia today," she said, "and I think we would have fucked if she hadn't stopped us."

Maru gasped as Haley relayed the story: Kaylia fulfilling her request, their initial flustered apologies and reactions to each other, the rapid escalation, Haley dropping the dime on Maru to Kay, her suggestion of more intimate activities, and Kay's refusal to let them happen.

"I'm so sorry, Maru," Haley apologized, keeping it together as best she could, "it happened so quick, and I was so hot for her. I even got as far as... touching her..." She dropped her eyes to her lap as Maru's widened.

"You touched her junk?"

Haley nodded. "Over her pants, but yeah, she was getting pretty hard. But then she pushed me away, and I realized what I was doing, and how sudden it was. I felt so awful, I didn't want to do any of that stuff without you."

Maru hugged Haley. "It's okay, Hale, everything's going to be okay." She realized that she would have been angry if Haley and Kay had sexy times without her, but also that she was okay with the idea of Haley and Kay having sexy times to begin with. In fact, the thought of Haley going down on Kay's cock was hot, indeed, but Maru set those thoughts aside for the moment.

"Thank you for coming over and telling me about this," Maru said. "May I ask you more questions?"

"Of course." Haley saw the look in Maru's eye and knew her girlfriend was shifting into investigation mode.

They spent the next half-hour going over everything that happened in minute detail. Maru was very good at investigating strange occurrences, and it relieved Haley greatly that Maru wanted to dig in to this event in the same way. They went over the exact words they said, their body language, the specific ways Kay was standing and holding herself. Haley understood the line Haley was taking, that Kay had possibly hypnotized or ensorcelled her into a heightened state of arousal, and that Kay putting a stop to it was a calculated move to endear herself to Haley. They both realized how far-fetched that was based on Kay's very honest reactions to Haley's suggestions. Maru openly surmised that Kay was incredibly dangerous if she could fake that level of involuntary response, but that given everything else that happened, it seemed unlikely.

Talking through all of it helped assuage Haley's guilt at taking things as far as they went, and they both felt better even though they couldn't explain precisely what happened.

"Maybe she's a sex goddess in disguise?" Haley offered.

"Not much of a disguise, if you ask me." Maru smirked, leaning over to lightly kiss Haley's lips. Haley returned the kiss, and shortly they were sprawled on the bed, their clothes tossed to the floor as they kissed and caressed each other.

"Are you still meeting Alex tonight?" Maru asked, nibbling on Haley's ear.

"Yeah, he thinks me canceling on him is 'playing hard to get', I don't think I should beg off this time." She turned Maru's face and drove her tongue into Maru's mouth. Maru sucked on it with a moan before Haley disengaged to kiss her neck.

"Yeah, I've been promising to hang out with Seb, Sam, and Abby for a while, too. We've got half an hour before we should get ready, and you haven't even said hello to my girls yet."

Haley gasped in mock embarrassment. "I'm so sorry! What a horrendous faux pas!" She dipped her head to address Maru's impressive endowments. "Good evening, ladies, you are looking delicious today." She ravenously sucked Maru's nipples into her mouth, drawing a powerful moan from both of them. It would not be the last.

*****

Abby adjusted the blue bow of her barrette to sit offside, adding a touch of asymmetry to her look. She rarely got this dressed up for the Saloon, but it felt like a special occasion. Word had gotten around about Kay's new crop of parsnips, and Pierre's had a banner day as most of the town came to take a look and stock up. Pierre was thrilled. "That was just parsnips!" he said. "Think of what happens when those potatoes and kale come in!"

Caroline knocked on the door before peeking in to Abby's room. She and Pierre were just about ready themselves, and would be joining Robin and Demetrius for dinner while Abby hug out with her friends. Abby waved her mom in as she looked herself over in the mirror. She'd decided on the blue-and-purple tank tonight, and both she and her mom considered the deep cleavage it afforded.

"Someone's angling to get laid," Caroline joked, hugging Abby from behind.

"Yeah, maybe I'll get lucky, too!" Abby joked back, giving her mom a quick peck on the cheek. She turned back to the mirror as Caroline adjusted her bow.

"My slutty baby girl is all grown up," she said, faking a tearful sniffle. "It feels like only yesterday that she only had eyes for mommy."

"That WAS yesterday, and what was I supposed to be looking at when you buried me in your throat?" Abby laughed. Caroline always seemed to know when her daughter was tense or nervous, and the incestuous sexy talk always helped calm her down. She hadn't realized it, but she was very nervous about tonight.

"Mom?" she asked, "would it be okay if I hang out with Kaylia again? Like, after the bar?"

Caroline nodded. "Of course! I wasn't kidding about you being grown up, if you feel safe with her, I won't stop you."

"Even if I wanted to..." Abby let the question hang in the air. "I mean, I know we just met, and I don't know if anything will happen, but-"

"But you think you're ready for it if it does?" Caroline turned Abby to look directly at her. "Abigail, I know how strongly you feel about Kaylia, even after only two days since you've met. If you were worried about her taking advantage of you, I don't think you'd be so interested in spending time with her."

"But I don't want her to think I'm easy, or to think less of me if I can't keep my hands off of her, you know?"

"I know, but I also know that you are a mature, strong young lady. You want friendship first, maybe tawdry sex later, and I think she knows that."

They hugged as Pierre called for Caroline from the hall.

"Okay, we're going to head over. Good luck, tonight."

"You, too." Abby winked, getting a laugh.

"Oh! Remember to relax your throat muscles, and to pull back to just her head if you want to swallow until you're used to it."

"Alright, mom! Geez!"

*****

It was nearly 7 by the time Kaylia was cleaned, dressed, and on her way to the Saloon. She'd picked the black bomber jacket to go with the ensemble Pierre and Emily picked for her, the only parts currently visible being the light tan slacks and black-and-red canvas hi-tops. She was excited, not only to show off a little, but also to get a chance to relax with her growing circle of friends. She was also starving, so step one would be attending to that.

Taking a look in a mirror before she set off, she noticed that her hair was finally long enough to do away with the headband, even though it was more to hide her elvish ears than wrangle her hairdo. Thinking on Melvyn's theories about the land and the community, she took it off. If anyone asked, she'd tell them the truth: it was the Imperials. It seemed to explain her skin and eye color, why not her freaky elf ears as well. To force the issue, she pulled her hair back into a high ponytail.

The Saloon was packed and lively when Kay arrived. Gus and Emily were tending bar, as per usual, and Pam, Willy, and Shane were in their usual places. Over by the jukebox, Pierre and Caroline were dancing alongside Robin and Demetrius. Leah, Elliot, and Dr. Becker were sitting at the bar, sharing a bottle of single-malt scotch and deep in a discussion of transcendentalist philosophy, from the sound of it. Further down the bar, the mayor and Marnie were splitting a pizza and a bottle of wine. Finally, Haley was sitting at a corner table eating a burger with a young man with typical jock looks in a green and yellow letter jacket. That must be Alex, she thought as she approached the bar.

"Evening, farmer!" Gus greeted Kay, placing a cranberry candy on the bar which she accepted gratefully. Emily waved as she loaded a tray of drinks for the date night table. "Heard it was a banner day at Pierre's, thanks to you!"

Kay tilted her head in confusion. "It was barely three dozen parsnips, they couldn't have been that amazing. Say, can I get a repeat of that pizza, but, ah, ease off a pint on the hot sauce this time, need my wits about me." Gus nodded, tugging his ear conspiratorially.

Kay took a few moments to circulate: greeting the patrons at the bar, narrowly avoiding being drawn into the philosophical discussion, paying her respects to the mayor, saying a brief hello to the older folks ("Those parsnips were dynamite!" Pam exclaimed), begging off Pierre's offer of a whirl around the dance floor. She approached Haley cautiously, catching her eye and getting a wave over.

"...so now he thinks the town's being invaded by bears trying to steal everyone's garbage," the athlete was saying, "he really needs to get out more." Haley cleared her throat and gestured behind him, and he finally noticed Kay.

"Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to ask how you made out with that horseradish." Kay hoped Haley would pick up on the implied 'are you okay?', and Haley's warm smile indicated that she had. Haley gestured to her face, which was clear and gorgeous.

"Worked like a champ, thank you. I'd lend you some, but your skin is so perfect already, I'm super jealous." Haley's voice had a bit of... flounce in it? She was playing the stereotypical blonde way up, likely for her dinner companion's benefit. "Have you met Alex yet?" she asked, tapping him on the shoulder. He gave her a confused look before realizing what she wanted and standing.

"Kay Gardner," she introduced herself, offering a hand.

"Yeah, the new farmer chick, I can dig it," he replied, taking the handshake. "Alex BraANson."

Kay smirked, he really shouldn't have tried the squeeze test with her. He sat back down, shaking his hand out. She was a little surprised he sounded as much like a meathead as he looked.

"Yow, good grip."

"I'm glad everything worked out," Kay said to Haley, "let me know if I can help out with anything else. Nice to meet you, Alex."

"Sure thing." Haley smiled again as Kay moved off towards the game room.

"Damn, that chick is thick." Alex watched Kay go as Haley rolled her eyes.

"You looking to trade down?"

"Aww, come on, babe, I'm just sayin'."

*****

"Rack 'em up, Sammy, old pal."

Sebastian's record remained intact, and he applied chalk to the end of his cue as Sam collected the balls together in the rack. With one exception, he had trounced everyone in town that he'd ever played, though Abby and Haley could give him a run for his money. (Haley was the more surprising of the pair; she had come within a hair's width of winning their last game but missed a bank shot to close the deal.) As Kay approached the group, drink in hand, he looked forward to introducing the new arrival to this pool table's resident lord and master.

Kay's heart jumped when she saw Maru sitting with Abby, and her pants grew a little tighter as she took in the bounty of cleavage on display. Abby wore a deeper-cut tank than she normally favored, and Maru was in a pretty yellow halter top that set her caramel skin off quite nicely. Sam and Sebastian were at it again, though it appeared their most recent game had just ended as they joined the girls to finish their current beers.

"Room for one more?" Kay asked, approaching the table. The group looked over, and Maru was visibly startled when she realized who had arrived.

"Of course!" Abby said, pulling a chair up between her and Maru. "Have you and Maru met yet?"

"We haven't," Kay said, taking the chair graciously and offering her hand to Maru. "Your reputation precedes you, Miss Wright, it is an honor."

Maru placed her hand in Kay's, who raised it to her lips and gently kissed her knuckles. Her lips are so soft, Maru thought, and her face rapidly turned red as Kay relinquished her hand. The boys chuckled in response.

"Smooth," Sam commented.

"P-please, call me Maru. H-how are you finding Pelican Town, Miss Gardner?" Goddess, her eyes are hypnotic.

"It's a wonderful place, I'm so glad I was able to move here." She is so cute! Stop trying to look at her boobs, you lech, Abby is right there.

"Dad made parsnip salad from some of your crop today," Abby cut in, hoping to defuse the very palpable tension building in the air. "It was so good! You think all of your veggies will be that tasty?"

Kay nodded, grateful for the distraction. "I hope so, the soil seems to be pretty nutrient-dense, I hope I don't deplete it too quickly."

Maru brightened at this. "Yeah, it's a little like potting soil on steroids, isn't it? Dad thinks it might be remnants of volcanic activity boosting the natural iron content, but I think it's more nuanced than that."

Kay and Maru spent the next several minutes talking about dirt, to the utter boredom of the rest of the table. Mostly, Kay just let Maru expound on her theories, and as Maru's nervousness dropped away, Kay saw how passionate she was about all things science and discovery. It was a little intoxicating.

"I take it you received appropriate compensation for your labors?" Sebastian broke in, drawing a groan from the rest of the table.

"Come on, Seb," Sam said, "she just got here."

Kay could not believe he was going to be this transparent. "I mean, it's not like I sold to Joja or anything." The joke got a snerk from Abby as she tried to take a drink.

"Hey, all I'm saying is that I'm glad she's here, and that she's appreciated." Seb continued, glancing at the pool table. "Speaking of appreciation, I wonder if you have ever played the fine game of pocket billiards."

Here we go, Kay thought. "Once or twice in the barracks. Why?"

"I would be honored if you would join me in a friendly little match over the felt, as it were. It helps me get to know people better."

"Yeah, get to know their wallets." Maru snarked, getting chuckles from Abby and Sam. Seb shushed her before standing.

"That sounds fun, actually!" Kay said, rising from her seat. "Abby, could you pass me one of those stick things?"

Seb smirked, he didn't think Kay was actually a hayseed, but maybe his first impression was off.

"The guys in the barracks usually bet something on these games, you want to do that too?" Kay asked innocently. Maru and Sam groaned again, Kay was clearly asking for trouble. Abby, handing a cue to Kay, wasn't so sure.

"Oh, well, I normally wouldn't, but if it would help you be more comfortable, I could do 10 gold a ball?"

"That sounds about right." Kay nodded.

"At least Seb's paying tonight," Sam said, leaning back in his chair. Seb always spread the wealth around when he tapped a mark.

Sebastian racked the balls and graciously allowed Kay the break. She lined up her cue, took a moment to double-check the line, and promptly muffed the shot, barely getting any action on the table.

What followed was 20 minutes of the most awkward pool they had ever seen, as Seb exerted his usual level of command over the table. He would occasionally intentionally miss a shot to allow Kay another chance, but it was clear to everyone that pool was not Kay's game.

*****

"The kids seem to be having a great time," Robin said, tucking in to her dinner salad. "I'm glad Kaylia seems to fit right in, too, she seems so nice."